IFish Fishing Forum banner

Chocolate lab dogs very smart????

28K views 60 replies 48 participants last post by  Smoke It 
#1 ·
A friend of mine is getting a chocolate lab pup in a few weeks. Upon talking to other people telling them about their new pup, several people have commented that chocolate labs aren't very smart or are dumb dogs. I have been around dogs and have had dogs my whole life and this is the first time I have EVER heard this. Any truth to this??? Now he is worried about getting a DUMB dog. He doesn't hunt, it is just a family dog.

Thanks
 
#32 ·
Labs and smart in the same sentence is kind of funny :whistle: Nice, kind, friendly and pleasing maybe, but .....smart :backlaugh:

I dont care what color the dogs hair is, if it doesnt have some black in its mouth, it wont be a smart dog :twocents::twocents:
 
#45 ·
Labs and smart in the same sentence is kind of funny :whistle: Nice, kind, friendly and pleasing maybe, but .....smart :backlaugh:
I have to agree with BoE, smart and Labrador? :backlaugh:

Hmmmm....I wonder what breed is chosen most often to serve as a guide dog to the blind?

Answer - its the Labrador followed by the Golden Retriever and German Shepherd.

These breeds are chosen for their obedience, intelligence, ability and willingness to work long hours, ability to tolerate stress, and public acceptability or recognition.

As with any dog, you get from it, what you put in to it.​


E
 
#47 ·
Trainability does not equal intelligence. If the guide dog people were really interested in "smart" dogs most of the guide dogs would be herders or terriers. I'm not knocking labs (I have shared my life with a couple and would gladly do so again), but they ain't the smartest on the block. Chessies are very smart, and that's not always a good thing! It is much more difficult to train a chessie, because they are pretty sure they know more than you. :excited: But again, if someone asks me what kind of dog they should get my #1 recommendation is a small, spayed female lab (color doesn't matter).
 
#48 ·
Trainability does not equal intelligence. If the guide dog people were really interested in "smart" dogs most of the guide dogs would be herders or terriers. I'm not knocking labs (I have shared my life with a couple and would gladly do so again), but they ain't the smartest on the block. Chessies are very smart, and that's not always a good thing! It is much more difficult to train a chessie, because they are pretty sure they know more than you. :excited: But again, if someone asks me what kind of dog they should get my #1 recommendation is a small, spayed female lab (color doesn't matter).
Guide Dogs for the Blind does not agree with your assesment.

"Our dogs are smart—very smart! In addition to learning how to lead a person safely around obstacles, Guide Dogs are also trained in "intelligence disobedience": if they are given an unsafe command, they are taught to not obey it (for example: refusing to step out into the street when there is oncoming traffic)."

http://www.guidedogs.com/site/PageServer
 
#35 ·
I have to agree with BoE, smart and Labrador? :backlaugh: But color doesn't matter, my brother had a black one that calling him dumber than a box of rocks was an insult to the box of rocks. I've seen hundreds of labs, and generally 99% are wonderful dogs. Funny thing, the only aggressive ones (as in bite w/o being provoked) were yellow, but I'm pretty sure that was more a matter of the owner than the dog.

BTW, if your friend wants smarts in a dog he should get a chessie. Mine's almost finished with "War and Peace". No Tilla, I couldn't resist! :backlaugh::backlaugh::meme:
 
#37 · (Edited)
Each dog is an individual.
I have a gsp lab mix. He is smart,but cant decide to be a pointer or a lab.Keeps goin back and forth.....:palm::hoboy::confused:
Try owning a rescue dog thats trying to find his identity.
But women and kids love him.Rabbits and cats fear him.
 
#49 ·
If your friend is stuck on getting a beautiful, smart, active, good natured, BROWN dog, he should consider a Viszla. They shed less as well:twocents:
 
#61 ·
Anyone that would say that about a lab has no business being around dogs they are super smart and great with kids other dogs and train very easy
but mine is afraid of the vaccume cleaner so if thats a dumb thing so be it but I'll but my lab is smarter than the guy who told you that.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top